Shannon Elliott Foundation

05/22/2026

the apostle Paul says that every time a negative thought comes to you, whether it’s fear, worry, or doubt, you can’t be passive or complacent. You have to arrest that thought, you have to bring into captivity any thought that goes against what God says. It’s an intruder. It has no right to stay, making its home in your mind. You need to get your handcuffs out, lock it up, and send it away. To take it captive indicates forcefully and aggressively being on the offensive. Paul could have said, “Just don’t think it. Don’t pay it attention.” But God is showing us how important it is that we be proactive, that if we’re going to have a sound mind, a healthy mind, it’s not going to happen automatically.

The Scripture says to “give no place to the enemy.” Are there some intruders in your mind that you’re allowing to stay? Are you giving place to negative, discouraging thoughts? It’s time to start locking up those thoughts. Refuse to dwell on them. Refuse to let the negative play in your mind.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for giving me the power to take captive any thought that goes against what You have said in Your Word. Thank You that I can cast down the negative thoughts that come against me. I refuse to give the enemy any place or to let the negative play in my mind. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Joel Osteen.

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05/21/2026

Abraham was seventy-five years old when God promised him a son, but his wife, Sarah, had gone through the change of life. A child seemed impossible. Year after year went by with no sign of a baby. You can imagine the negative thoughts that came to Abraham over and over. He could have gotten discouraged, but he stayed strong in faith by giving praise to God. He gave thanks to God for the promise before he ever saw the promise fulfilled…when he was one hundred years old.

Like Abraham, you may not see any sign of what God promised you. You could live worried, stressed, doubting. Try a different approach. Every time those thoughts tell you, “You’ll never get well, never break the addiction, never see your family restored,” turn that worry into worship. When God hears you thanking Him for something that you can’t see, praising Him for the promise when you could be complaining, talking like it’s on the way when you could be defeated, that gets God’s attention. That’s when He’ll make things happen that you couldn’t make happen.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are the Most High God and that’s reason enough to never waver in believing Your promises. Thank You that my faith can grow stronger through this. I am going to keep believing, keep praising, and thanking You for what’s on the way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Joel Osteen.

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05/20/2026

David enjoyed seasons with good breaks and open doors. But he says that what enlarged his life was when he was hard pressed. It was through the times when his family didn’t believe in him, when King Saul was jealous and trying to kill him, chasing him through the desert for years. He endured many situations that weren’t fair, including his own son trying to take the throne from him. But here’s the key: He used that pressure as fuel for his faith. He didn’t get bitter and give up when his dream looked impossible. He saw it as healthy pressure that was developing him, growing him up, with greater character, proving to God that he was ready to lead the people.

You don’t really know who you are until you’re put under pressure. You don’t know your true character until it’s tested in the fire of adversity. Quit letting the pressure from a situation or person defeat you, make you sour, give up on your dreams. If you keep the right perspective, you’ll be able to say, “God brought me into a spacious place.”
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that in the times when I am hard pressed, You are going to bring me into a spacious place. Thank You that You are testing me and preparing me to become a person with great character. I declare that I am trusting in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Joel Osteen.

05/19/2026

in Acts 9, Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus, who was the biggest enemy of the early church, having instigated a wave of persecution that scattered the believers. On Saul’s way to Damascus with the authority to put believers in prison, Jesus appeared and spoke to him. That day was his turning point. He became a follower of Christ, and his name was changed to the apostle Paul. He went from being the biggest threat to the biggest asset of the church, writing nearly half the books in the New Testament. He told the Galatians that God in His marvelous grace had chosen him before he was born to proclaim the good news to the Gentiles, which he never dreamed of doing. Paul was saying, “I thought I was doing the right thing, but God stepped in and showed me what He preplanned for me.”

God is not going to let you miss what He has preplanned for you. Like Paul, you are chosen for a purpose. His marvelous grace is for you today. Keep being faithful, and you will see it come to pass.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You saw a chosen vessel in Saul when he was persecuting the church, and You’re going to use me as Your instrument as well. Thank You for Your marvelous grace that will bring me into what You have planned for me. I will be faithful to Your purpose. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Joel Osteen.

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05/18/2026

the enemy’s scheme of lies and deception goes way back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve lived in the perfect garden with everything they needed. They had conversations with God every day. There was no sickness, no strife, no heartache, no worries. There was one tree out of thousands that God told them they must not eat the fruit from. No big deal. But along comes the enemy, who purposed to deceive Eve into focusing on the one thing she didn’t have, while overlooking all the great things she did have. He got her to question what God said, why He said it, and why God was withholding what would make them like Him. Rather than dismissing it, Eve started dwelling on subtle lies and soon gave way to disobeying God, with all its tragic consequences.

It’s the same today. The enemy tries to plant seeds of discontentment, doubt, and compromise in your thinking, hoping he can deceive you into doing what is wrong. The key is to recognize the lie and dismiss it by declaring what God has said.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for making me aware of the enemy’s deceptive ways to get me to doubt and question what You have said. Thank You that I can dismiss the wrong voices that lead to compromise. I declare that Your Word is true, and I will use it to wage war against the enemy’s lies. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Joel Osteen.

05/16/2026

05/15/2026

three Hebrew teenagers had their hands and feet bound firmly with ropes and then were thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idol. This seemed like an impossible situation for survival. But in that furnace, the only thing that burned were the cords that held them bound. God was showing us that there’s no bo***ge the enemy puts on you that He can’t break. There’s no addiction, no depression, no sickness that He can’t free you from. Yes, there will be opposition. The enemy will try to bind and restrict in any way he can. Sometimes the medical report is not good, or your child is off course, or the addiction seems permanent. Those cords are only temporary. Your time of release is coming.

God wants us to see Him not just as a God who protects, but as a God who frees from oppression, who breaks bo***ges, who releases you from what has confined you. The same God who burned up the ropes that held the teenagers captive is about to burn up what’s restricting you.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that whatever has restricted me in the past has lost its grip because Your Son defeated the enemy on the cross and has brought me into freedom. Thank You that my hands are no longer tied. I believe that the fourth man has set me free. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Joel Osteen.

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05/14/2026

if you follow the journey of Abraham, you know that God called him to leave his relatives and go to a new land, but he took his nephew Lot along with him. Perhaps Abraham felt he was obligated to take care of Lot and his family, but it wasn’t what God called him to do. From that point on, Lot’s presence brought strife, contention, struggle, stress, and frustration. Abraham did not distance himself from a relationship that hindered him, took his time and energy, and was a distraction from what God called him to do.

Lot may be the coworker you sit with at lunch who talks badly about the boss, or the friend who causes you to compromise, or the cousin who brings out the worst in you. You can’t reach your destiny hanging around people like that. You need people around you who inspire you, who cause you to dream bigger, who honor God, who love their family, who are going places, making a difference, setting new standards. If you won’t separate yourself from unhealthy relationships, that’s where you’ll get stuck.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for calling me to follow You and Your direction in my life. Thank You that You speak to me about the relationships that I need to leave and the ones that I should develop. I declare that I’m not going to be pressured into compromising what I know is right to do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Joel Osteen.

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05/13/2026

God is the author of your life. He breathed life into you. He chose you to be here. He gave you a purpose, an assignment, something to accomplish. He’s not just the author, He’s the finisher. He’s going to keep making you, molding you, giving you grace to come up higher until He finishes. Now, the key is don’t give up in the middle. Don’t get discouraged while you’re being changed. He’s in control. As long as you’re being your best, you don’t have to perform perfectly. You have a heart to do what’s right. Then you can be assured when it’s time to change, all the forces of darkness cannot stop you. But notice that there’s a requirement for this to happen. You have to look away from all that will distract and look to Jesus. Focusing on your flaws will distract you from your purpose. Magnifying your weakness, what you don’t like about yourself, will keep you from your potential. Look away from all that and look to your author. Do your best and trust God to take care of the rest.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that Jesus is the author and finisher of my faith, and He will finish what He started in my life. Thank You that I can look away from my weaknesses and flaws that distract me from my purpose. I declare that I will be my best and trust You to work out Your plan. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Joel Osteen.

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05/12/2026

in Acts 8, Philip was directed by an angel into the desert to meet the treasurer of the queen of the Ethiopians, who upon hearing about Jesus immediately believed and wanted to be baptized. When they came up out of the water, the Scripture says that the Spirit of God caught Philip away and he was found in Azotus, where he began preaching again. One moment he’s in the water, and the next moment he’s twenty miles away. That defies logic, except that God had an obvious purpose for Philip to accomplish quickly.

God has times when He will purposefully propel you ahead. It may not be to another city, but God may propel you in your career or health or a relationship. He opens a door, gives you ideas, causes you to stand out, brings the right people, brings the healing. You can’t explain how it happens. It doesn’t make sense. It should have taken years. You look up and think, “How did I get to Azotus?” so to speak. Look for the God of acceleration to step in and do what you can’t do.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You can take me further faster than I could ever imagine because I honor You and want to do Your will. Thank You that You can take what seems like it could take years to happen and suddenly turn it around. I believe that You have wonderful things in store for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Joel Osteen.

05/11/2026

we all go through disappointments, difficulties we didn’t see coming. It’s easy to accept it and think that’s the way it’s always going to be. We went through a breakup, so we’ll always be lonely. We had a setback in our business, so we’ll always struggle. We came down with an illness, so we’ll always have to deal with it. Voices will whisper, “This will never change. You won’t get out of this.” No, God says that when we go through challenges or loss, we’re still going to come out with nothing missing. He’s a God of restoration. You may have lost your health, lost your joy, or lost a position, but that’s not how your story ends. Don’t judge your situation too soon. God sees everything you’ve lost. He hasn’t forgotten about you. The loss is only temporary. It’s just a season. You’re going to get it all back. Your health is coming back, your confidence is coming back, your child is coming back, your strength is coming back. When God gets finished restoring, nothing will be missing, large or small.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are on the throne, and You are with me through every time of loss. Thank You that You can bring me out of difficulties better off than I was before they showed up. I believe that Your favor is on me and that nothing will be missing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Joel Osteen.

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